Rising Stars: Meet Maddy Todd of North Raleigh

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maddy Todd

Hi Maddy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I didn’t know what I wanted to after high school but I knew one thing for sure and that was that i wasn’t gonna settle for anything that didn’t use my creative and artistic abilities. I grew up in New Hampshire and in 2018 my senior year of high school i got offered a job as a receptionist at a local nail salon by my friend. I was all for it because I could get my nails done for free and it seemed like an easy job. I had an interview and got the job. I worked there for 2 years and had a lot of fun with it because I had a close relationship with boss. I had the opportunity to become a nail tech while working there but didn’t think it was creative or artistic enough to pursue. After 2 years of being there nail art became really popular and people were asking for nail art that no one in the salon could do, so one day my boss asked me if I would do that nail for him. I was like “sure why not?!” and did it for his client. It came out beautiful and the client was also really happy with so i decided to make it a thing after my convinced me it could become something more. I made nail samples of the nail art I could do, my boss allowed me to use one of the desks to do nail art at, told me I could charge what I wanted, and pocket the money. I started to have a small clientele and they would just come to my desk once they were ready for nail art. At this point I realized that obviously doing nails could be creative and artistic and that I could do it in my own way. My boss helped me into a school in Boston, I went for 3 months, and got my license. I worked for that salon for a couple months in 2020 and then another salon in the area for about a year and built up my clientele significantly until I decided to move here in July 2021. I was living with my family and we had to move because the owner wanted to sell the house. The housing options were slim and overpriced and our cousins were convinced we should move to NC where they were at. So my family decided to go for it and with short notice. Given that it was short notice, I was gonna wait to move but on moving day I decided I didn’t want to move everything by myself and told them to put my stuff in the moving truck and I would meet them down there on a couple days and make the drive. I quit my job and left the place I grew up in to start all over here. I got my license transferred to NC and worked at uptown cheapskate until I could get my license and find another salon to work out of. I tried 2 salons and the second one seemed to be a great fit so I worked there and started rebuilding my clientele. I wanted to find a place that was laid back and did nail art. Vudu Nail salon was the salon that embodied my vision. They taught me how to do a new and improved nail extension (gel X) and celebrated my artistic ability. After a year and a half of being there I was able to build my clientele enough to go on my own and have my own nail business. My boss offered to let me rent a room she had and I started my nail business March 2023 called Wicked Claws. My great grandparents gave me a loan to get started and I got all the supplies and everything set up myself. After another year April 2024 I moved to a bigger more private room separate from a salon at Sola Salons. It’s allowed me to have more control over my environment and give me more space for my creative endeavors. Today I continue to grow my skills in my career and as a business woman. I just feel elated that all the hard work and time I’ve put into chasing my dream has brought it to reality. At 24yrs old, I feel so fortunate to get to do what I love and be my own boss while doing it. I already have new business ventures and ideas brewing and I’m excited to see how far I can go.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I think I’ve been very fortunate to fall into such a niche occupation as early as I did because it came very naturally to me and that’s partly why I have come so far in what seems like a short period of time. Although, it still has its challenges. Working for other people have been my main challenges. Where they expect you to keep up with their fast pace, without error, work long hours with short breaks (if that), and all while trying to continue improving my craft on paying customers. Not everyone is as forgiving or kind and I had to deal with some really rude and mean people. It’s a lot of pressure and very intimidating. Then having to start all over again and rebuild my clientele where I knew no one was also a big challenge for me because it takes a while to build clientele. I had to work another low paying job in the mean time and there was a lot of days where I had to no clients at the salon but I had to stick it out in order to rebuild. I’ve also had to work with nail techs that caused a very stressful environment for me. I’ve had to keep low prices that felt unmatched with the quality of my work. Now that I’m running a business by myself, I’m relived from most of the struggles I had before but it has a whole new set of challenges. Now I don’t have to deal with clients/coworkers/bosses I don’t want to, I work the hours I want, I charge what I want, and I can run my business the way I want, but now I have to learn to run a business woman, photographer, and keep up with social media and marketing on top of just doing my services. It’s all up to me and I’m the only one that can hold myself accountable. I prefer it though.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in gel X and nail art. I provide high-quality, long-lasting nails, and advanced nail art to cover them. My sets usually last about a month or longer depending on how hard you are on your nails.
I can do most of what my clients bring to me and recreate the designs but I prefer to put my spin on it or come up with my own designs. I’ve come to the point in my career where I want to do more original, unique, and detailed art, so I’ve started having my clients make mood boards for their nails and send them to me so I can come up with design using my creativity. I love to do 3d art, character art, and abstract art. I enjoy abstract art the most because it allows for error and originality. I’ve been known to do some stunning character art too but I don’t get as much of it as I’d like to.
I think what sets me apart from others in my career is my ability to be well-rounded but still have to ability to excel in whatever I put my energy into. I don’t limit myself to certain styles because I like to challenge myself, but I think in time I’ll find my own style of art that I’ll specialize in.

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I think courage is the most important characteristic to my success because it doesn’t matter how many ideas, skills, and talents I have if I don’t have the courage to pursue them. I can even be confident in myself but be afraid to put myself out there and I truly believe that dreams are only achieved with risk being involved. Usually the bigger the risk the bigger the reward and anytime I’ve found the courage to take the risk it’s gotten me where I need to go.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.vagaro.com/wickedclaws
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickeddclawss